Automobile bumper jack



arch 14, 1967 s COLE AUTOMOBILE BUMPER JACK Filed Jan. 28, 1965 I NVENTOR.

STANTON COLE WW ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiiice Patented Mar. 14, 1967 3,309,063 AUTOMOBILE BUMPER JACK Stanton Cole, 1759 Cromwell Drive, Akron, Ohio 44313 Filed Jan. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 428,819 3 Claims. ((11. 254-99) This invention relates to vehicle lifting jacks and, in particular, relates to so-called bumper jacks.

Heretofore, bumper jacks have been provided wherein a lifting hook was mounted on a screw-actuated carrier for lifting and supporting engagement with the lower edge of the bumper. Generally, the construction of the prior lifting hooks was such that they could not be retracted to a suflicient degree for storage and shipping purposes, or were uneconomical to produce because parts were expensive to make and install in the jack.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved bumper jack having a simple, inexpensive lifting hook means, adapted to be retracted to a compact condition which facilitates packaging the jack for storage or shipping purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bumper jack having an improved bumper-engaging hook unit which will readily conform to variations sizes, shapes, and angular deviations in the portions of the bumper engaged thereby.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a collapsible bumpertype, tripod jack in expanded upright position of use for engagement of lifting means thereof with a bumper;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of a portion of the jack substantially as viewed on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-section, taken substantially on the line 33 of FIGURE 2, and on the same scale.

Referring to FIGURES l to 3 of the drawings, the numeral 16 designates a so-called tripod type of vehicle lifting jack having a lifting member or carrier 11 nonrotatably supported on a nut 12 threaded on a screw rod 13, within a channel-shaped forward leg or support 14 of the jack (see FIGURE 3). Nut 12 is non-rotatably, vertically movable Within the channel-shaped leg by means of turning handle 15 at the top of the jack, for likewise vertically moving the carrier 11.

Carrier 11 has an integral, vertically elongated extension 16, vertically slidably received through a longi tudinal slot 17 in leg 14 to protrude forwardly of the same. The protruding extension 16 may be formed with an apertured enlargement 18 presented forwardly of the top portion of leg 14, and to which a flexible lifting hook unit 19 is pivotally attached to depend freely therefrom. Unit 19 may include a pair of flexible, inextensible elements 20, 20, such as stranded and twisted wire cables, which have looped top ends 21, 21 pivotally connected at relatively widely spaced opposite sides 22, 22 of enlargement 18, to projecting ends of a pin 24, said pin having riveted or enlarged opposite ends and suitable cooperating washers retaining the cable loops against the sides 22, so that the cables are adapted to depend freely from the pin 24 in parallelism. The lower ends of the cables have similar loops 25, 25 between which a rigid hook member 26 is likewise pivotally connected and retained on a pin 27 mounted through an apertured upper end of the hook member. In the FIGURE 1 position of non-use of the hook unit 19, the flexible cables 20 embrace the relatively narrow carrier extension 16, to allow the hook member 2'6 to assume a fully retracted position, resting against the front face of the leg 14. This enhances the compactness of the jack for shipping and storage purposes. The flexible cables otherwise provide strong support for the hook member, and yet they are independently twistable and/or flexible to accommodate the hook member for hooked engagement with variously shaped or angled vehicle bumpers B (see FIGURE 3).

The cables 20 may be provided with a coating 20a of resilient plastic material, such as polyvinyl chloride, to serve as a rust preventative, as well as to obviate any possibility of scratching chrome plating on portions of the bumper B engaged thereby. The coating 2011 may be provided by known methods of dipping the cables in polyvinyl chloride plastisol to assure penetration of the plastisol into the interstices between the wires of the cables to assure strong adhesion of the coating to the same.

In use of the improved jack to elevate an automobile, as for changing a tire, the jack is supported on its three legs in known manner, as represented in PlGURu': l, and with the hook unit 19 adjusted to position closely adjacent the vehicle bumper B. By means of handle 15, the screw rod is rotated to move the carrier 11 upwardiy until the hook member 26 is in hooked engage-ment with the lower edge of the bumper. With continued such upward movement of carrier 11, the vehicle may be elevated as necessary, the respective flexible cables 20 readily conforming to the shape, size, and angular disposition of the portions of the bumper engaged there-by (see FIGURE 3). The cables being independently twistable, as described above, the rigid hook member 26 is firmly held in angular conformity with the portions of the bumper engaged thereby.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1, A vehicle bumper jack comprising: an elongated support having means by which the same is vertically supported on a surface and having a vertically movable lifting carrier and means for vertically moving the same; said lifting carrier having a relatively narrow, vertically elongated rigid extension protruding forwardly of the support and having an aperture laterally through the top end thereof; a pair of flexible, inextensible elements each formed at opposite ends to provide top and bottom closed loops; and a rigid hook having an apertured top end portion; and top and bottom pivot pins received laterally through the apertured top end of said extension and laterally through said apertured hook portion, respectively; said top and bottom pins having retaining means at opposite end extensions thereof freely pivotally receiving said top and bottom loops, respectively of said pair of elements normally to suspend the elements freely from the top pivot pin in embracing relation to said protruding extension, whereby the hook isswingable with the elements toward and from a retracted position against said support; said elements thereby being independently variously flexible to conform to contoured portions of the bumper and support said hook is hooked supporting engagement with the bumper.

2. A bumper jack'as in claim L'said flexible elements 3,195,299 7/1965 Dietz 57-149 being stranded Wire cable. 3,240,471 3/1966 Townsend 254-99 3. A bumper jack as in claim 2, said stranded wire cable being coated with resilient plastic material. FOREIGN PATENTS 5 945,514 5/ 1964 Great Britain.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS WELLIAM FELDM-AN, Primary Examiner; 3,120,945 2/1964 Schultz et a1 254-134 OTHELL M. SIM'PSON,-Examiner.

3,159,381 12/1964 Graa'fsrna et a1 254-100 

1. A VEHICLE BUMPER JACK COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED SUPPORT HAVING MEANS BY WHICH THE SAME IS VERTICALLY SUPPORTED ON A SURFACE AND HAVING A VERTICALLY MOVABLE LIFTING CARRIER AND MEANS FOR VERTICALLY MOVING THE SAME; SAID LIFTING CARRIER HAVING A RELATIVELY NARROW, VERTICALLY ELONGATED RIGID EXTENSION PROTRUDING FORWARDLY OF THE SUPPORT AND HAVING AN APERTURE LATERALLY THROUGH THE TOP END THEREOF; A PAIR OF FLEXIBLE, INEXTENSIBLE ELEMENTS EACH FORMED AT OPPOSITE ENDS TO PROVIDE TOP AND BOTTOM CLOSED LOOPS; AND A RIGID HOOK HAVING AN APERTURED TOP END PORTION; AND TOP AND BOTTOM PIVOT PINS RECEIVED LATERALLY THROUGH THE APERTURED TOP END OF SAID EXTENSION AND LATERALLY THROUGH SAID APERTURED HOOK PORTION, RESPECTIVELY; SAID TOP AND BOTTOM PINS HAVING RETAINING MEANS AT OPPOSITE END EXTENSIONS THEREOF FREELY PIVOTALLY RECEIVING SAID TOP AND BOTTOM LOOPS, RESPECTIVELY OF SAID PAIR OF ELEMENTS NORMALLY TO SUSPEND THE ELEMENTS FREELY FROM THE TOP PIVOT PIN IN EMBRACING RELATION TO SAID PROTRUDING EXTENSION, WHEREBY THE HOOK IS SWINGABLE WITH THE ELEMENTS TOWARD AND FROM A RETRACTED POSITION AGAINST SAID SUPPORT; SAID ELEMENTS THEREBY BEING INDEPENDENTLY VARIOUSLY FLEXIBLE TO CONFORM TO CONTOURED PORTIONS OF THE BUMPER AND SUPPORT SAID HOOK IS HOOKED SUPPORTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BUMPER. 